Category: Superminis 
Price Range: £12,460 to £12,960
Neat, confidence-inspiring shape, brilliant residual values.
Stodgy handling, not as well made as it's cracked up to be. The virtually identical Seat Ibiza (hatchback) and Cordoba (saloon and estate) are better value for money.
The image is better than the car.
The Polo heaves and floats at speed on indifferent roads, which can get uncomfortable. Most rivals ride better, and handle more precisely too. Noise levels are quite high at speed in the 1.0.
Air-conditioning is optional on all but the basic L models, and a full-length fabric 'open-air' sunroof is available. Headroom and legroom are fine, but the boot is an odd shape: tall, but not very deep. Passenger airbag steals the glovebox from the facia, and cabin storage is poor overall. The Polo estate is quite practical, though it's no serious load-lugger.
The sound system is a Sony unit, which is fiddly to use and sounds tinny. There's no RDS traffic news facility. Many will have been replaced with after-market units on used cars.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Polo
wrote on 03 03 2008
wrote on 29 05 2006